Long-awaited rebuild of 11th Street and other big projects on Rockford’s new capital plan

By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — The city is ready to move forward with the first steps to rebuilding the 11th Street corridor on the south side and Madison Street in downtown as it embarks on a new five-year plan to improve roads and infrastructure.

Those two projects are among the first moving forward in a $343.5 million capital plan approved by the City Council last week. It marks the sixth-consecutive year that the capital plan has hit a new record high for spending on infrastructure.

“It’s very exciting that we’re finally able to move these projects out of engineering and into the construction phase so the public can finally benefit from all this work,” said City Engineer Tim Hinkens, who is the interim director of public works.

This winter the city expects to award about $75 million worth of construction contracts for summer work.

“By comparison, our entire (Capital Improvement Plan) revenue is about $26 million a year,” Hinkens said. “So $75 million to be awarded for construction in just a winter is a great thing.”

The higher spending possible because of surplus budget funds the city is putting to work this year, as well as state and federal grants the city is leveraging in conjunction with its own infrastructure sales tax money.

Here’s a look at some of the key projects moving forward in the new capital plan:

11th Street improvements begin

The city will begin the first step of a three-phase plan to overhaul the 11th Street corridor with new roadway, sidewalks and the removal overhead utility lines for placement underground.

Tonight, the City Council’s Finance & Personnel Committee will consider a $12.2 million contract with N-Trak Group for the first stage of reconstruction.

The first phase of the work covers 11th Street from Harrison Avenue to 18th Avenue. The work will begin as soon as weather allows, likely in spring after some initial staging this winter.

The future phases reconstruct the road north to Charles Street in 2026 and from U.S. 20 to Harrison in 2027.

Keith Creek flood mitigation

The city will continue its efforts to mitigate severe flooding that has struck the Churchill Park area after storms.

The next step is to widen Keith Creek, from roughly Sixth Street to 11th Street, including the replacement of the 11th Street bridge.

Engineering will start next year, and the city will seek federal funding to help cover the cost of the work.

Construction could move forward in mid to late 2026.

Chestnut complete streets project

A roughly 1.25-mile stretch of Chestnut Street, which turns into Walnut Street and First Avenue as it extends east across the bridge, will be revitalized and outfitted with a new bicycle and pedestrian friendly streetscape.

The road will be resurfaced from the curve at West State Street to Seventh Street, and a new bicycle lane will be installed. There will also be brick-ribbon streetscape, sidewalk improvements and decorative lighting. The city refers to it as a “complete streets” rebuild.

“We’re taking out a vehicular lane and putting in a two-way bike lane that’s separated by curb,” Hinkens said. “You might see that in Madison or other downtowns like that.”

Construction is expected to cost more than $17 million and move forward this summer.

Lead service line replacement

The city awarded a $4 million contract to N-Trak Group earlier this year for the latest round of lead service line replacement.

There are more than 14,000 lead pipes feeding water into people’s homes, and an additional nearly 500 galvanized lines with potential for lead contamination. Beyond that, there are more than 29,000 lines that have yet to be classified and may require replacement.

The city expects all lead service line replacement will take approximately 30 years.

Related: Rockford replaces hundreds of lead service lines each year. It has thousands to go

Well 46 water treatment plant

The city will build a new water treatment plant east of the Chicago Rockford International Airport to replace a previously decommissioned well.

The plant is considered key to future development in the area.

The $12 project includes building a new water treatment plant, reservoir and the associated pumping equipment. The city is currently drilling the new well on the property to determine the design of the treatment facility.

Madison Street work begins

City Council awarded a $4.5 million contract Dec. 2 to N-Trak Group to tackle the first phase of rebuilding Madison Street in downtown.

The city plans to reconstruct the road, replace water mains, add bike lanes and an off-street bike path bike path from First Street to Prairie Street.

ComEd is expected to begin burying its overhead utility lines this winter, and roadway work will begin as soon as weather allows in spring, Hinkens said.

The second phase of the work will extend from Prairie Street to Y Boulevard and begin in 2026.

Well 45 reservoir reconstruction

The city plans to undertake a $15 million project to replace a 100-year-old, five million gallon water reservoir next to its Water Department headquarters at Cedar and Avon streets.

The reservoir is considered vital to daily household water and firefighting demands in the neighborhood.

The project is expected to go forward in 2026.

The project will also include improvements to the existing Water Department operations center and parking area to enhance public access.

Alpine Road fixes

This summer the city plans to resurface a roughly 1-mile stretch of Alpine Road from Spring Creek Road to Highcrest Road.

That work is being paid for with $1.5 million money that went unspent in its previous budget.

The major facelift for Alpine Road won’t happen for a few more years in the future.

The long-term plan includes rebuilding a 2.5-mile stretch of Alpine from Linden Road to Charles Street. That project is estimated to cost more than $55 million. After the work is done the state-owned road would be transferred to the city’s jurisdiction.

Whitman Street roundabout

The second phase of a project to rebuild Whitman and School streets from Underwood Street to Court Street — which includes a new roundabout at Ridge Avenue — will move forward this spring.

The first phase of the work started earlier this year, fixing the road from Underwood to Rockton Avenue. The next phase takes the fixes to Court Street and includes converting the intersection at Whitman and Ridge to a single-lane roundabout.

The $9.6 million project includes new curb and gutter, storm sewer improvements, new sidewalks, new traffic signals and a multiuse path.

This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas